Three US and Israeli officials said that the Iranian attack on Israel could begin as early as Monday, Axios reported.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla arrived in Israel on Shabbos. According to the report, his trip to the Middle East was already planned before the current escalation but he will now use his time in Israel to try to mobilize the same international coalition that came to Israel’s defense against the Iranian attack on April 12.
The Biden administration fears that it will be more difficult to mobilize a regional coalition this time due to the anti-Israel sentiments in the area following the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
A US official told Axios that Kurilla will visit several Gulf countries and Jordan, with the latter being a key stop. Jordan played a significant part in defending Israel against the previous Iranian attack by intercepting drones that entered their territory on the way to Israel and allowing the US and Israel to use their air space. Kurilla wants to ensure that Jordan will do the same if Iran attacks again.
Meanwhile, in a rare trip to Iran, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi flew to Tehran on Sunday to “discuss regional developments” with his Iranian counterpart in the wake of Haniyeh’s elimination.
The US is also preparing for an attack on Israel by sending more warships and fighter jets and bolstering its forces in the region.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Israel reportedly eliminated a universally recognized fiend and bloody terrorist. The world should be supporting Israel now MORE than even before. Iran and Turkey are in unison vowing to avenge his killing: what does that tell you about him? Why the world is not readily supporting Israel now is proof how עשו שונא את יעקב.
May Hashem shower us with His rachmanus and bring Moshiach already. May these upcoming 9 days be 9 celebratory days.
Yaapchik: You use the normative term “should” (“…the world SHOULD be supporting Israel…”); that has never been the case and I doubt ever will be. Most of the mid-Eastern countries that have quietly supported prior efforts to defend EY against attack by Iran and its surrogates have now been put into a politically untenable situation and fear immense domestic political pushback if they are identified as being part of a U.S./Israel coaltion by allowing their airspace to be used.
if the potus hadn’t been preoccupied with the election, this wouldn’t be a problem. as netanyahu outlined, a shared missile defence based on the abraham accords, could have made this impossible by now. but baseless hatred, towards trump, and netanyahu, has complicated matters, and put israeli and american lives at risk. “betting on the strong horse” is the key to arab politics – be that horse.